History Literature / TwentySixSixtySix

* ApocalypticLog: Ansky's journal depicts how he got caught up in the Great Purge.

* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Amalfitano is a dark example of this. He's going insane, and his relationship with his daughter suffers for it.
* ApocalypticLog: Ansky's journal depicts how he got caught up in the Great Purge.
* AbsenceOfEvidence: Happens in just about every murder, given how most of the bodies are left in garbage dumps and that witnesses never come forward. What little evidence ''is'' found is frequently lost or forgotten.

* AlwaysGetsHisMan: Subverted with Kessler, the American inspector sent in to instruct the Mexican police force and aid in the investigation.

* TheyDo: Between Liz Norton and the other critics. [[spoiler: After having a threesome with Pelletier and Espinoza, she leaves both of them for Morini.]]

%%* TheChick: Liz Norton.

* IllGirl: Male version, Morini’s health declines so much that he doesn’t accompany the other critics to Mexico.
** Ingeborg Bauer.* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Lalo Cura, though judging by some of his actions, it may be a case of PingPongNaivete.

* WallOfText: There’s paragraphs that lasts around 5 pages, seriously. The fourth part, however, take this [[UpToEleven up to eleven.]]

An epic {{postmodern}} novel written and [[DiedDuringProduction left unfinished]] by Creator/RobertoBolano. It depicts the [[RealLifeWritesThePlot unsolved and ongoing serial murders]] in Santa Teresa, Mexico ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_homicides_in_Ciudad_Ju%C3%A1rez aka Ciudad Juaraz]]), and the Eastern Front of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Spanning over eighty years, the plot also revolves around the exploits of the [[ReclusiveArtist reclusive author Benno von Archimboldi]], and the people whom he has affected. The story was originally released in 2004, adapted into a stage play in 2007, and was eventually translated for English audiences in 2008. Bolaño was posthumously awarded the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award for it as well. The novel is divided into five parts:

%%* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters

An epic {{postmodern}} novel written and [[AuthorExistenceFailure left unfinished]] by Creator/RobertoBolano. It depicts the [[RealLifeWritesThePlot unsolved and ongoing serial murders]] in Santa Teresa, Mexico ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_homicides_in_Ciudad_Ju%C3%A1rez aka Ciudad Juaraz]]), and the Eastern Front of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Spanning over eighty years, the plot also revolves around the exploits of the [[ReclusiveArtist reclusive author Benno von Archimboldi]], and the people whom he has affected. The story was originally released in 2004, adapted into a stage play in 2007, and was eventually translated for English audiences in 2008. Bolaño was posthumously awarded the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award for it as well. The novel is divided into five parts:

* ARiddleWrappedInAMysteryInsideAnEnigma: The true identity of Archimboldi and the mystery of the serial murders in Santa Teresa.

* NoEnding: [[All of the chapters ended abruptly with no resolution.]]

* GenreBusting: Horror, Paranoid fiction, Science fiction, Historical, Bildungsroman, Police procedural, Satire, Academic, Picaresque, Adventure, War, Hysterical realism, Encyclopedic novel, Philosophical novel, Metafiction, Mystery, Thriller, Black comedy, Pornography, Tragicomedy, Conspiracy fiction, Crime mystery, Detective fiction, neo-Western, Romance, and Experimental literature.

* GenreBusting: Horror, Paranoid fiction, Science fiction, Historical, Bildungsroman, Police procedural, Satire, Academic, Picaresque, Adventure, War, Hysterical realism, Encyclopedic novel, Philosophical novel, Metafiction, Mystery, Thriller, Black comedy, Pornography, Tragicomedy, Conspiracy fiction, Crime mystery, Detective fiction, and Experimental literature.

An epic [[PostModernism postmodern]] novel written and [[AuthorExistenceFailure left unfinished]] by Creator/RobertoBolano. It depicts the [[RealLifeWritesThePlot unsolved and ongoing serial murders]] in Santa Teresa, Mexico ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_homicides_in_Ciudad_Ju%C3%A1rez aka Ciudad Juaraz]]), and the Eastern Front of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Spanning over eighty years, the plot also revolves around the exploits of the [[ReclusiveArtist reclusive author Benno von Archimboldi]], and the people whom he has affected. The story was originally released in 2004, adapted into a stage play in 2007, and was eventually translated for English audiences in 2008. Bolaño was posthumously awarded the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award for it as well. The novel is divided into five parts:

* GenreBusting: Horror, academic satire, crime mystery, supernatural, bildungsroman, war, science-fiction, historical and journalism.

!! Watch Out for the Tropes:

->If things work out, and sometimes they don’t, you’re back in the presence of the ''sacred''. You burrow your head into your own chest and open your eyes and watch.

The Part About Archimboldi: The origin of [[ShroudedInMyth Benno]] [[TheVonTropeFamily von Archimboldi]] is finally unveiled. [[spoiler: He’s really Hans Reiter, a Prussian born in 1920 who fought for Germany in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and created a new identity as his homeland - and all of Europe - was reconstructed.]] The narrative follows Archimboldi's childhood all the way into [[RetiredBadass his eighties]], when his work has [[VindicatedByHistory gained literary acclaim]] and made him a contender for the [[UsefulNotes/NobelPrizeInLiterature Nobel Prize]].

* TheAce: Kessler, though even he can't solve the mystery of Santa Teresa.

* AloneWithThePsycho: Amalfitano and [[spoiler: Dean Guerra's son.]]
** Fate and [[spoiler: Chucho Flores and his group.]]

* AnyoneCanDie
* AuthorAvatar
* BadassBookworm: Benno von Archimboldi.

* BrokenBird: Azucena Esquivel Plata.
* BumblingDad: Óscar Amalfitano.
* CerebusSyndrome: The tone and mood of the book gets increasingly darker as the plot progresses.
* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler: Mrs. Bubis.]]
* TheChick: Liz Norton.
* ChildrenForcedToKill: Lalo Cura.

* CloudCuckooLander: Amalfitano.
** Ingeborg is considered crazy by her own family.
** Hans is considered this early on in the war.

* CoolOldGuy: Mr. Bubis.

* CowboyCop: Epifanio.
* CrapsackWorld: Santa Teresa. It’s based on the real life city of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_homicides_in_Ciudad_Ju%C3%A1rez Ciudad Juárez]], where things are even ''worse''.

* DaChief: Pedro Negrete.
* DarkerAndEdgier: The Part about the Crimes is notably the darkest, bleakest and violent of the five Parts.
** Perhaps Bolaño’s darkest and bleakest work. While there are some heartwarming moments in it, they are glossed over and/or underplayed.
* DefectiveDetective: Juan de Dios Martinez.
* DestroyTheEvidence: Whenever there's evidence, it inevitably ends up missing.
* DieLaughing: [[spoiler: Mr. Bubis.]]

* {{Doorstopper}}: The untranslated version is roughly 1,100 pages long.
** The English translation ain't no slouch either, being almost 900 pages long.

* DreamSequence: And how!

* GainaxEnding

* GentleGiant: Archimboldi.
* GiveGeeksAChance: Liz [[spoiler: eventually ends up with Morini.]]

* HearingVoices: Amalfitano.

* IdleRich: Baroness von Zumpe. [[spoiler: She gets better.]]
* IllGirl: Ingeborg Bauer.
** In a male version, Morini’s health declines so much that he doesn’t accompany the other critics to Mexico.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Lalo Cura, though judging by some of his actions, it may be a case of PingPongNaivete.
* IndyPloy: Oscar Fate’s escape from Santa Teresa.

* IronLady: Congresswoman Azucena Esquivel Plata.

* IWasQuiteALooker: Mrs. Bubis, [[spoiler: who is eventually revealed to be the Baroness von Zumpe.]]
* KarmaHoudini: Those responsible for the Santa Teresa murders.
** [[spoiler: Hans gets away with murdering Sammer by becoming Archimboldi.]]

* KidSidekick: Epifanio treats Lalo like one.
* KissingCousins: Hugo ''wishes'' he was this with the Baroness. It never happens.
* KudzuPlot

* LastNameBasis: Archimboldi.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall
* LeftHanging
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Pelletier and Espinoza assault a taxi driver.

* MayDecemberRomance: Mr. and Mrs. Bubis.
* MeaningfulName: Oscar Fate and Lalo “The Madness” Cura.

* MetaFiction

* MissingMom: Lola Amalfitano.

* NestedStory

* NoFourthWall

* OldCopYoungCop: Epifanio and Lalo Cura.

* PoliceProcedural
* {{Postmodernism}}

* TheQuest: A Bolaño’s staple.
* RapeAsDrama: Throughout, really.

* RescueRomance: Between Oscar Fate and [[spoiler: Rosa Amalfitano.]]
* RippedFromTheHeadlines: Santa Teresa is the fictional version of Ciudad Juarez.

* SanitySlippage: Amalfitano, though it’s implied to happen to people who stay in Santa Teresa for too long. Being caught up in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII doesn't help matters, either.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Implied with Pedro Rengifo.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Few of General Entrescu's men - most notably Popescu - stay behind once the Russians get close.

* ShoutOut
* SociallyAwkwardHero: Oscar Amalfitano, who spends his chapter gradually going insane.

* TheStraightMan: Hans Reiter, compared with the characters he meets throughout the war.

* ThatManIsDead: [[spoiler: Hans Reiter becomes Archimboldi.]]

* ThoseTwoGuys: Pedro Negrete and Pedro Rengifo.

* UnfortunateNames

* ViolenceIsDisturbing: Are you surprised?
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The fate of [[spoiler: Hugo Halder.]]

->“If things work out, and sometimes they don’t, you’re back in the presence of the ''sacred''. You burrow your head into your own chest and open your eyes and watch.”

“An oasis of horror in a desert of boredom”.